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I love this Time Magazine (online) article aptly written by Rachel Simmons, co-founder of Girls Leadership Institute and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls and The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence. I read it like three times! LOL!

Even her article’s sub-title is an awesome slogan: “Here’s why being on your phone doesn’t make you a bad parent.”

She writes that a lot of journalists and would-be parenting experts are asking parents to stop using their phones in front of their kids. “They say it makes kids feel less loved, and teaches the wrong lessons about how to use devices.” Her answer? “No. Noooooo. Noooooooooooooooo.” Hahaha!

Simmons says parenting can be boring, like when you’re pushing a stroller the entire morning which is similar to watching paint dry. “Hell yes I’m going to be on my phone.”

Another quip is not to make her daughter the center of her attention the entire day. “My daughter’s name is Estee, not Lady Mary, and I am not her valet, at her beck and call.”

Other reasons Simmons writes in her article are titles “My kid could use some space” and “I have a job.” In the end, it’s a matter of balancing the act and the practicalities of using your phone and parenting. “Instead of telling me everything I’m doing wrong as a mom, it’d be nice if someone cut me a break and told me what I’m doing right. It’s enough to make you want to find a volleyball for company.” – You have to read her article to understand what the volleyball is all about.

While it made a popular Rick Springfield song in the ’80s, “Don’t talk to strangers” is way too broad of a statement. I’ve actually never said this to my children in so many words. It certainly doesn’t fit my detail-driven personality or my parenting style.

Here’s just a few of the problems I have with this statement. How do we define a stranger? Is a fireman we don’t know on a first-name basis a stranger? Is the lady who delivers our mail each day a stranger? We may not know her by name either, but she’s a welcome sight to us each day. Often times, she will hand the mail directly to my 5-year-old son, as I watch the entire exchange to ensure he doesn’t get too close to the curb or drop a pile of unwanted bills in a puddle. The ritual gives him self-confidence, allowing him to help with a chore while also learning to look an adult in the eye.

Interacting with unfamiliar people is something children need to learn or they may eventually become socially awkward adults. There’s really no way to teach children how to make casual, small talk in a grocery store check-out line. Perhaps when a child answers a store clerk’s question that could be a start.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is going to hold an advanced workshop in effective writing entitled “Write with Impact – The Inquirer Way.” This is only open for teens entering college or those who are at college age.

Seminar fee is P6,000 for three whole days, slated on May 21-23, 2014, from 9:00am up to 5:00pm at the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The seminar fee includes meals and workshop materials.

John Kiernan of the Wallet Hub recently posted a study about women in the American workplace which comprises about half of the employed people. It is not just about equal pay but equal work as well. U.S. President Obama once quipped, “She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship – and you know what, a father does, too.”

So, WalletHub analyzed state and local dynamics across nine metrics in order to identify the Best & Worst States for Working Moms. Their findings include New York as having the best day care system but has one of the highest child care costs, Alabama having the fourth lowest child care costs but ranks high in the worst day care system, and with a conclusion that the Blue States are more friendly to working moms than Red States.

Curious? Just click on and read WalletHub’s entire report at wallethub.com.

Pope Francis addressed 100,000 people at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican last October 26, 2013 during the Year of Faith celebration of family life. “A Catholic wedding is not simply a beautiful ceremony; through the sacrament of marriage a couple receives from God the grace they will need to fulfill their mission in the world,” Pope Francis said.

Catholic-San Francisco wrote that vowing to love one another in sickness and health, joy and sorrow all the days of their lives, Catholic couples put their lives in the hands of God and rely on him for strength.

The faithful who attended the celebration, from children to grandparents, were invited by Pope Francis to speak to him and the crowd, to share the story of their family lives. “The sacraments are not decorations in life; the sacrament of marriage is not just a pretty ceremony. Christians celebrate the sacrament of marriage because they know they need it,” added Pope Francis.

Singaporean Daniel Wong writes through the work he has done with thousands of students and parents, he has come across a lot of angry, bitter children and their loving but confused parents. “As a parent, sometimes love isn’t enough.”

“Just to be clear, this article is about parenting from a child’s perspective, which is my area of expertise given that I’ve worked with many youths,” he adds. Parenting can mostly be summed up by two traits: unconditional acceptance of their children and expectations of excellence of their children.

Read more about these traits and the various categories a parent goes through in parent at Yahoo! Singapore.

“I have said it before and I will say it again — and again; parenting is hard,” says Northumberland guest columnist Leisse Wilcox. “There are times we high-five our sweethearts and smugly boast about how great we are at this.

Then, there are the other times.” Wilcox continues that those are the times when it is most important to steal away for a “sweetheart getaway,” a night away for you and your honey to go and be a couple again. In these getaway events, she offers three rules so that you get back on the horizon to put it all in perspective.